The Mayor of Casterbridge Chapter 28

In which Henchard, acting as magistrate, encounters a disorderly old woman who unexpectedly recounts a tale from two decades past, casting a shadow upon his own history and stirring a stir amongst the townsfolk. Meanwhile, Lucetta, troubled by these revelations and the sombrous air of Casterbridge, resolves to seek solace by the seaside, leaving Elizabeth-Jane to tend the household in her absence.